Muhammad Mudassar Iqbal

Mr. Muhammad Mudassar Iqbal

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Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

2Years (2025-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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8 July 2025 in Plants
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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MUMuhammad Muneeb Ullah
Muhammad Muneeb Ullah
MAMuqadas Aleem
Muqadas Aleem
Muhammad Mudassar IqbalMuhammad Mudassar Iqbal
Muhammad Mudassar Iqbal
ARAwais Riaz
Awais Riaz
AINONG SHIAINONG SHI
AINONG SHI
Soybean (Glycine max L.) is grown worldwide to obtain edible oil, livestock feed, and biodiesel. However, drought and salt stress are becoming serious challenges to global soybean cultivation as they retard the growth of soybean plants and cause significant yield losses. Voltage-dependent anion-selective channel (VDAC) proteins are well-known for their role in drought and salt tolerance in crop plants. In this study, we identified 111 putative VDAC genes randomly distributed in genomes of 14 plant species, including cultivated soybean (Glycine max) and wild soybean (Glycine soja). The comparative phylogenetic studies classified these genes into six different clades and found the highest structural similarities among VDAC genes of G. max and G. soja. From the conserved domain database, porin-3 (PF01459) was found to be the conserved domain in all VDAC proteins. Furthermore, gene annotation studies revealed the role of GmaVDAC proteins in voltage-gated anion channel activity. These proteins were also found to interact with other proteins, especially mitochondrial receptors. A total of 103 miRNAs were predicted to target fifteen GmaVDAC genes. In G. max, these genes were found to be segmentally duplicated and randomly distributed on twelve chromosomes. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that the GmaVDAC18.2 gene showed overexpression in root nodules, whereas the GmaVDAC9.1, GmaVDAC18.1, and GmaVDAC18.2 genes showed overexpression under drought and salt stress conditions.